Insta
Saving Forest Area Likely To Get Harder For Karnataka With New State Congress In-Charge
Elephants crossing a highway in Bandipur
The appointment of K C Venugopal, member of Parliament representing Alaphuzha, as the Karnataka in-charge for Congress is being seen as advantageous to Kerala since projects along the Karnataka-Kerala border are likely to see progress. Over the last few years, several inter-state projects between the neighbouring states have been held up due to opposition from environmentalists and forest conservation groups.
Kerala submitted a formal proposal to Karnataka through Venugopal, urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to support the Nanjangud-Nilambur railway line, reported Bangalore Mirror. It has been asking Karnataka to open up the traffic through Bandipur National Park at night for long. But Karnataka has been refusing the request on the back of opposition by wildlife activists and conservationists. This could change.
Bangalore Mirror quoted a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office-bearer as saying, “The railway line passes through Bandipur National Park, which is a protected area and requires clearances from the National Tiger Conservatory Authority (NTCA) and Central Board for Wildlife, besides the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The leaders expressed that if both states jointly pursue the project and exert pressure on the Centre, the project could see the daylight and help prosper the region economically.”
Karnataka High Court had earlier rejected this project as it would hurt the ecosystem. The 236km railway line is said to pass through nearly 15km of the core area of the Bandipur tiger reserve.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
